Zinwa buys 40 high-capacity drilling rigs from India

Lumbidzani Dima, Chronicle Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) has purchased 40 high-capacity drilling rigs from India, 10 of them to be delivered this month-end to bolster Government’s programme to drill a borehole in each of the 35 000 villages countrywide.

Government wants to drill a borehole in each of the country’s 35 000 villages and 9 600 boreholes at 9 600 schools by 2024.

Clean water provision is one of the goals under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).

A further 3 600 boreholes will also be drilled, two each in each of the country’s 18 000 wards for youth horticulture projects.

Zinwa corporate communications and marketing manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga said the drilling rigs are expected to anchor the Presidential Rural Horticulture Scheme under which Government wants to drill a borehole in each of the country’s 35 000 villages.

“These rigs are expected to anchor the Presidential Rural Horticulture Scheme in which Zinwa is expected to drill a total of 35 000 boreholes, meaning a borehole in each village.

The boreholes will then provide water for the establishment of nutrition gardens, fish ponds, dip tanks, orchards and poultry projects, all which are part of the scheme,” she said.

The Presidential Rural Horticulture Scheme is meant to accelerate efforts to alleviate poverty and uplift livelihoods in rural communities through creation of employment opportunities for women and youths, among other vulnerable members of society in line with NDS1.

Mrs Munyonga said a team including some engineers from the authority were in India inspecting the rigs as part of the procurement process before they are dispatched to Zimbabwe.

“The authority is set to take delivery of a total of 40 high-capacity rigs from India and 10 of these rigs are expected in the country at the end of February 2022,” she said.

Recently, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said of the 44 950 boreholes in the country, only 25 000 are fully functional, hence Government will continue to develop and deploy technologies that improve water use efficiency especially through scientific research to enhance productivity in agricultural production.

He said by managing water sustainably, the country is able to better manage production of food and energy and contribute to decent work and economic growth.

The minister said Government envisages to increase land under irrigation in the country from the current 216 000ha to over 420 000ha by 2024.

“Zimbabwe is endowed with some 10 700 dams having been built, but only a handful are being fully utilised.

This presents an opportunity to deploy new technologies and Government has now adopted a new philosophy for these projects as it seeks to accelerate irrigation development from the current 216 000 ha to over 420 000ha by 2024,” said the minister.